The view from Alaa's apartment reveals streets and sidewalks carpeted in fresh snow, a tableau of tranquillity half a world away from the chaos of Iraq. But inside, the war is never far from his mind. The television set is turned at high volume to a talk show on Baghdadi TV, an Iraqi satellite channel. Only Arabic books line the bookshelves in the living room; Alaa and his roommate, Ali Hamad, an ophthalmologist from Baghdad, barely speak English, let alone the language of the country in which they have sought refuge. As he welcomes a visitor with the typical Iraqi drink...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In